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                         Sunday, Sept. 9 -- Oakridge to Crescent Creek -- 43 miles

At the table next to us, a man broke out his ukulele and played Hawaiian tunes. Nice!

His son and daughter-in-law, from New Zealand, talked with us about biking trails. Oakridge is trying to rebrand itself as "mountain biking capital of the Northwest," and we did see a fair number
of mountain bikers in town.

The Highway 58 tunnel was under construction, with traffic allowed one way at a time behind a pilot vehicle. We didn't have headlights and thought we might have to get a ride in a pickup truck.

As it turned out, we reached the tunnel entrance just as a line of cars was starting
to go through. The flagman told us to follow traffic and not to dawdle, so the oncoming drivers wouldn't have to wait too long, and he radioed his counterpart at the other end to watch for two bicyclists before letting the waiting vehicles proceed. The tunnel had lights, and a brand-new, smooth concrete deck.
(Bonus: Rick got better at picture-taking behind his back while riding. That's just his rear pannier in the lower right-hand corner.)
.
Leaving Willamette National Forest, entering Deschutes National Forest


Willamette Pass (elev. 5,128 feet)

We took the turnoff for
Salt Creek Falls. Signs didn't say how far it was, and we got nervous about the return climb and didn't go far enough to see the waterfall.
.
Lunch was at
Crescent Lake Resort, a few miles
off the main road.

The resort's webcam shows this very spot.


Back on Highway 58, we got groceries at the Odell Sportsman Center and continued to our lodging at Crescent Creek Cottages.

Crescent Creek
was right
behind
our cabin.
Sweet!


We used the living room for bike parking
and reorganizing our gear.


We said goodye to George and Arthur, who were heading back over the Aufderheide, and went to the Lion Mountain Bakery for breakfast.
  It was cool and overcast, but the climbing on Highway 58 kept us warm.

Safety tip!
(Here's another example, in another season and location, of this valuable advice from the Oregon Dept. of Transportation -- complete with smart-aleck commentary. I wasn't going to say it.)

After the Highway 58 tunnel, it was sunny,
and we finally shed our jackets.

.

Diamond Peak

Odell Lake

Odell Lake

We didn't try an aqua cycle at Crescent Lake.

Crescent Creek

The cabin was cute and cozy.

The kitchen had everything.

The ancient Philco fridge worked fine. (Ancient means
older than us!)

Chef Rick
The temperature dipped into the low 30s overnight, so the coffeemaker was key
in the morning.

PREVIOUS OREGON bike trip 2012
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